Emmanuel Fashakin
The proffered solution by my highly esteemed learned friend, Ikeazor Akaraiwe, is rather harsh. Why should a justice have to wait for two years, or bypassed for promotion for two years, simply because he or she served on the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal? Why should he be punished for serving the country in a very hot and high-pressure assignment?
To take the argument further, would Akaraiwe SAN waive the two year wait if the justice decides against the ruling President? Are we not then inviting the justices to pervert the course of justice for personal gain?
Read also: Elevations to the Supreme Court, By Ikeazor Akaraiwe, SAN
Mr Akaraiwe, SAN argued, correctly and reasonably, that the position of late Ogwuta JSC who died two and one half years earlier should have been filled soon after his death. He argued that it would have allowed his successor to have garnered two years experience on the apex court. The more reason why Mr Akaraiwe’s advocacy for delay of two years for justices serving on the PEPT before being elevated to the Supreme Court is surprising.
We need to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court as they arise. The prior service of the justices on the election tribunal should be irrelevant, unless there is evidence of corruption, or other malfeasance, by the affected justice
Emmanuel O. Fashakin, Attorney at Law & Medical Director, Abbydek Family Medical Practice, P.C.
